Mangarosa in North Beach

No one responded to my request for information on this new Brazilian/Italian place, so we went blind. Many empty tables on a Monday night. Four of us shared polenta souffle (fabulous); caesar salad (with fried anchovies, a yummy twist); cod and crab cakes (good)and something else (did I mention the two bottles of wine); then main courses: crispy chicken with balsamic reduction (perfect, I hated to share it so I didn't try the others: sea bass, gnocchi, and orriechiette, but my friends raved), plus some sides (yucca fries with aoli, broccoli rabe and sauteed mushrooms). One dessert we shared, not that anyone was hungry, and the total tab was $200 before tip but not before two bottles of fairly-high-end wine.

Full bar, sophisticated decor, felt glamorous as we had our pre-dinner mojitos (good but not Habana level).

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